Staycation—A New Way to Vacation
Beat the cost of gas by doing something new—vacationing right by home.
By Dian Thomas
Salt Lake Leads the World in Bridge Building
With cutting-edge technology, 12 new highway bridges have been built and placed in Salt Lake in just a few months. Dian stayed up all night to watch one bridge be destroyed, while another was slipped into its place.
By Dian Thomas
Time to Wok Up to Chinese Cooking
In celebration of the Olympics, Dian teaches us how to make some traditional Chinese dishes.
By Dian Thomas
New York: A City Full of Changes
In the twenty years since Dian first worked in New York, the Church has blossomed into a beautiful diversity.
By Dian Thomas
New York City: Just a lot of Little Neighborhoods
Take a walk with Dian around the block by the temple in New York City.
By Dian Thomas
Taking the Ride of a Lifetime
An intrepid group of bicyclists pedal across Iowa and celebrate friends and family along the way.
By Dian Thomas
Celebrating Forests and Pioneers
A trip through a remote Utah wilderness teaches a young girl about the suffering of some of the Utah pioneers.
By Dian Thomas
Life as a Ranger Kid
Growing up in a ranger station in Southern Utah offered an idyllic existence and was the springboard for a lifetime of exciting adventures.
By Dian Thomas
Seeking Excitement on Two Wheels
Looking for a form of exercise you can be passionate about may be no harder than remembering your childhood adventures.
By Dian Thomas
The Forbidden City Rolls Out Olympics Welcome Mat
Forget what you've heard about Beijing being the "Forbidden City." Beijing's doors and hearts are open wide to welcome visitors to the Summer Olympics.
By Dian Thomas
American Youth Capture the Hearts of Chinese
Latter-day Saint teenagers recently entertained the people in China, showing a face of America that is rarely seen in far-flung Chinese villages.
By Dian Thomas
Exploring China through Adventurous Cuisine
From boiled chicken feet to roasted duck heads to turtles with their shells and claws, the Chinese can make a delicacy out of anything that has legs.
By Dian Thomas
Celebrating a Traditional Chinese Wedding
A rare opportunity to attend a traditional Chinese wedding provides a glimpse into Chinese culture for one Latter-day Saint.
By Dian Thomas
Adult Recess — Amazing, Inspiriting, and Fun
An American abroad discovers one way that elderly people stay young and healthy.
By Dian Thomas
Adventures in China
One way to count your blessings is to count your windows.
By Dian Thomas
Camping Out for Breakfast
If you want to get your toes wet in the camping experience, start with the top of the morning — a hearty, homemade breakfast.
By Dian Thomas
Getting Organized for an Outdoor Experience
When it comes to having a great experience outdoors, it definitely helps to be organized. When you have things organized you have more time to enjoy the outdoor and the people you are sharing the experience with.
By Dian Thomas
It's Time to Be Outdoors
Take a few minutes to think about what nurtures your soul and be sure to get that on the calendar. It will make the hard things a lot easier.
By Dian Thomas
Treasured Friend and Treasured Recipes
People are like an encyclopedia, filled with information but not often opened. Here is the story of one human encyclopedia, along with a recipe she shared along the way.
By Dian Thomas
Dream Big and Work Hard
We all have Mount Everests in our lives. Are we going to climb them, or are we going to sit back and enjoy the view?
By Dian Thomas
Dreaming Adds Spice to Your Life
If you have a dream, go for it. Always remember that dreams don't make noise when they die.
By Dian Thomas
Ready, Set, Grill
If you have lived in the Snow Belt, you are most likely ready to get out the grill and fire it up for some delicious meals. Whether you grill meat or vegetables or even pineapple, you can't go wrong. Here you will learn some of your options so that as soon as it warms up you can clean off your grill or pick up one that will have you saying, “Ready, set let's grill!”
By Dian Thomas
Nothing Better than Sourdough
If you made your sourdough starter last week, here are recipes to show you what to do with it.
By Dian Thomas
Sourdough Bread — A Mormon Tradition
Delicious sourdough bread — always a favorite and a winner out-of-doors — was the principal bread of the hardworking men and women who built the West. You, too, can enjoy its heartiness and flavor.
By Dian Thomas
Make Easter Baskets and Bags
This week, bunnies and chicks abound in festive decorations. Here are simple instructions that will allow you to make bunny bags out of paper lunch sacks, and bunny or chick baskets from toilet paper rolls. These are great projects for parents and kids to do together.
By Dian Thomas
Make Your Own Easter Egg Tree
If you like Christmas trees and find that they bring a special feeling into the holiday, you will love the Easter egg tree.
By Dian Thomas
The Machine-Sewn Swimming Pool
With a little creativity, two children learn that it's possible to make a swimming pool with a sewing machine.
By Dian Thomas
How
to Fly First Class through Life
Looking at life through a different lens
offers a whole new world of opportunities.
By
Dian Thomas
Coloring
outside the Lines
Sometimes the brightest colors
are ones that appear in unexpected places. You can enrich
your life's tapestry by coloring outside the lines.
By Dian Thomas
Give a Super Kiss For Valentine's Day
If you are still looking for something special for your Valentine, look no further. And if your Valentine's Day celebration is all ready, read on for a way to celebrate President's Day this year.
By Dian Thomas
Sharing
Your Heart with Others
Valentine's Day is a special
time to share your heart with others. You can do that in many
ways. Here are two that are sure to please.
By Dian Thomas
The
Joy of Making Creative Valentines
Whether you tell people you love them, send them a card, or
do something special, here are some Valentine's Day ideas
that perhaps you have not thought about. These are done with
food, but you can use the same ideas and create sentiments
that are not so caloric.
By
Dian Thomas
Celebrating the Food of the Super Bowl
No matter when you gather around the television to watch the Super Bowl, a lot of people are even more excited about the football food than they are for the game itself.
By Dian Thomas
Make
a Snow Dome While Enjoying the Adventure
If
you have a fair amount of snow and some kids who like adventure,
you will not want to miss this. I loved what I learned and
I love the adventure that a few scouts and I created right
in my backyard.
By
Dian Thomas
Winter
Picnics to Warm the Heart
When it's so cold outside that most
people are huddled indoors, some adventurous souls pack picnic
hampers for outdoor adventures without mosquitos or ants.
By
Dian Thomas
Big
Successes are Accomplished by Many Small Steps
A successful television personality
reveals that her biggest success was not in front of the cameras,
but in front of her refrigerator.
By
Dian Thomas
Twelve
Ways to Make Dinner Fun
Take an unorthodox approach to
dinnertime. With a little creativity and imagination, family
members can make mealtime a time of laughter, closeness, and
good memories.
By Dian
Thomas
Christmas
Memory Magic
Christmastime is "the most
wonderful time of the year," as the Christmas carols remind
us. And with imagination and ingenuity, it's easy to add a
little magic to your family's memories of this most special
holiday season.
By Dian Thomas
Giving Gifts of Money
Money gifts can be unmemorable, but here are some ideas that will create memories that will last. If you use a little ingenuity, your dollar gifts can actually have sentimental value.
By Dian Thomas
The Top Ten Things I Have Learned in the Past 30 Years
If you make a list of things you have learned, you can use that list to remind you of the lessons in life you may have forgotten. You can also use the list to prompt your gratitude for the miracles of life.
By Dian Thomas
Turkey Reruns to Make Your Mouth Water
Although Thanksgiving is now behind us, enough turkey fans are eying turkey reruns that you can find bargains on turkey at many local markets. Once you have had the initial turkey dinner, you will still have lots of delicious meat to prepare some terrific turkey dishes.
By Dian Thomas
The
Great Outdoor Thanksgiving
It is time to make those final
plans for Thanksgiving. Most people will roast their turkey
in the oven but if you have a little adventure, good weather,
and a little time you could consider some outside alternatives.
By Dian Thomas
Grilling
All Year Round
For some unknown reason, food
cooked on the grill just tastes better. Don't let a little
cold weather (or even a blizzard) keep you from cooking adventurous
meals outside all winter long.
By Dian Thomas
Make
Your Meal an Adventure!
It's truly amazing what you
can do on an outdoor outing if you just have the right ideas.
Two favorite off-the-wall ideas are Backpack Chicken and Car
Manifold cooking.
By Dian Thomas
Halloween
Decorations Provide Seasonal Fun
Decorations bring the spirit
of fun, excitement and celebration to Halloween festivities.
Halloween is a time to build lasting memories of fun times
with family and friends.
By Dian Thomas
From
the Wasatch Mountains to Nova Scotia, Canada
Stop today and plan that special
drive, walk, or bike ride into nature. It is so easy
for the beauties that are all around us to slip away while
we find ourselves at home with stacks of paper all around
us —
or dishes piled up in the sink that call us to spend our days
in a mountain of suds.
By Dian Thomas
Dutch Oven Cooking for Cash or for Fun
Dutch oven cooking not only leads to delicious meals, but it can also lead to delicious money. All over the American West, there are festivals that have cook-offs where there is money for the winner.
By Dian Thomas
Carving a Jack-o'-Lantern House
Your pumpkin art doesn't have to be a standard pumpkin-head design. With a little ingenuity, you can create a pumpkin house, complete with a potato car for ghostly transportation.
By Dian Thomas
Get Wrapped Up in Aluminum Foil Cooking
What is it about aluminum foil that makes food taste so good?
By Dian Thomas
Dutch Oven Basics
Cooking in a Dutch oven is much like painting by number. If you follow the basic rules you will turn out the most incredible dish time after time after time.
By Dian Thomas
Fall Cookouts in the Backyard Can be Delicious
Even when summer is over, you can still bring the fun of the season into your own backyard.
By Dian Thomas
Backyard Barbecues for Autumn
For many, autumn means one thing — time for fun and adventure outdoors. If you can't go away, do not despair. A great adventure can be experienced right in your backyard.
By Dian Thomas
“Three
P’s in a Pod” for Stress-Free Living
We cannot choose whether we
face challenges, but we can choose how we deal with difficulties.
Here is formula that will help you face your challenges with
a smile on your face.
By Dian Thomas
